CHAPTER 154: I’LL TAKE IT

"Twenty percent, huh? That’s a hell of an offer, sugar." She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "How much are we talking here?"

"Let’s assume the fortune is split evenly among me, Sylvia, my parents, and a few relatives," he said. "Let’s just say twenty percent of my share is enough for you to live the rest of your life in affluence—without ever having to lift another finger."

"This is the weirdest proposal I’ve ever gotten, but... I’ll take it."

Winn gave a curt nod, relief flickering briefly in his eyes before he masked it again behind stoicism. "Good."

"You’re buying the dress, aren’t you? Because if I’m going to play wife, I might as well look like one hell of a catch walking down that aisle."

"Whatever you need," Winn said without hesitation.

Sharona grinned, leaning back, satisfied. "Well, I can’t wait to be Mrs. Kane then." She savored the words as if they were the finest dessert she’d ever tasted. The idea of taking the title that Ivy had abandoned—it thrilled her more than she cared to admit.

"Have you told Sylvia?" she asked.

"No."

Sharona tilted her head, studying him. "Why don’t you let me tell her?" she teased. "Sylvia feels some kind of loyalty to your ex-fiancée. I have to ease her into it."

Winn’s eyes flicked to her, unamused. "No. She’s my sister. I’ll do it." He didn’t want anyone else breaking the news to Sylvia—especially not Sharona.

"Fine," Sharona shrugged, pretending to concede. "See you on our wedding day, fiancé."

"Don’t milk it," he warned, already halfway out the door.

"Oh, I intend to milk everything," she muttered under her breath, watching him stride away. The moment the door shut, Sharona’s smirk melted into a grin. She sauntered to her phone, grabbed it off the counter, and dialed a familiar number.

"Get over here, now," she hissed the moment Tom picked up. "You’re going to love this."

*****

"You did what?! Are you crazy?!"

Winn winced. Sylvia’s usually calm blue eyes blazed with disbelief, and her curls were a stormy halo around her face as she paced the length of the living room.

"I don’t understand why you’re so mad!" Winn shot back, hands up in self-defense. "She’s your friend, isn’t she? A few months ago, you wanted me to marry her too!"

Sylvia stopped mid-pace, her jaw tightening. "A few months ago, yes! Before Ivy walked into your life! Before you started planning your whole goddamn future with her! You love her, Winn. Everyone could see it. So what the hell changed in days?"

Winn dragged a hand through his hair, his breath heavy with frustration. "What—what changed?! She left me, Syl! At the altar!"

"Have you asked yourself why she would do that?"

"A million times! Over and over again!" He dragged both hands down his face. "And I don’t blame her, alright? With the way I treated her, I don’t blame her. I can’t just wake up one day and decide that I suddenly love her."

"Winn..." Sylvia whispered. "It’s not your fault."

She stepped toward him slowly, her fingers trembling as she reached for him. "Bro... come here," she murmured, pulling him into a hug. He hesitated, then gave in, pressing his face into her shoulder. Sylvia rubbed slow circles against his back. "You cannot blame yourself," she whispered. "But I still think you should talk to Ivy first."

"How? The PI I hired is currently in Maine looking for her. I don’t even know why she’d go there. I don’t have the time. I have to save House of Kane, and I need Gramps’ money to do that." He threw his hands up and began pacing again. "I’m bleeding cash trying to keep the company afloat while dad watches and waits for me to fail."

Sylvia frowned, watching him, her heart twisting. "Not Sharona, Winn," she said softly, shaking her head.

"Why?" He stopped pacing and turned to her, brows drawn tight. "What is going on with you? What’s changed?"

Sylvia bit her lip, trying to form the words. "I just..." She inhaled deeply. "I feel like I would be betraying Ivy and Trish by supporting this decision. I know it’s business, but you’re asking me to stand by while you marry someone you don’t love, while the woman you do love is out there."

Winn pressed a palm to his forehead, eyes closing, exhaling shakily. "I know," he muttered. "I know, Syl. It’s just marriage on paper, believe me."

He looked up then, meeting her gaze. "If Ivy comes back this minute," he said. "I’m still going to marry her. It doesn’t matter that she ran off, I don’t care. I just—fuck!" He slammed his fist against the wall.

"Sis! The girl made me happy. And yes, I’m selfish enough to want that. Damning everything else. But if I don’t have Ivy...House of Kane is all I have left."

"You have me."

Winn let out a long breath, his jaw tight. "Oh baby, I know," he whispered. He reached for her hand, gripping it tight. "I know. I didn’t mean—God, Syl, I’m going crazy. I swear to God, I am. I’m spiraling."

"Isn’t there any other way to save House of Kane?" she asked softly.

"The only other way," he said finally, "is to partner with Everest for the project." His lip curled, bitter. "But I don’t trust Evans as far as I can throw him."

"Whose idea was the partnership?" she asked.

"Joey talked to the investors two days ago," Winn said. "They confirmed it was Evans’ idea. He’s positioning himself as my savior. And I have no fucking idea why." He laughed.

Sylvia frowned, chewing her bottom lip. "What if you sold the property you got for the mall? Just... put the mall idea on the back burner until later. It’s not worth losing your mind or your soul over this."

"Believe me, I’ve thought about it," Winn muttered. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging it back in frustration. "But it’ll take a while to find a buyer. The space is huge—prime city real estate that’s been sitting on the market for years before I bought it. Everyone wants a piece of it until they see the price tag."